It's plain hot in Austin right now. Hovering around 100 for the next... oh.... 3 months.

We don't have nearly the humidity problems Houston does, but I have a solid roof in white on my car, and love it. Don't miss the sunroof at all (my previous car didn't have one, either). With the auto-AC set at 70, it's nice and chilly inside. JUST BE SURE TO TINT YOUR WINDOWS.

 

Do you go to momentum MINI? who's your motoring advisor of preference? Alex seems like a great guy who loves the mini.

 

No, I decided to do the checkered roof several months after delivery. The decal was from Aesthetic Creations and I had it installed by a local guy.

You could go either way though. Not sure of the cost from the dealer by my total cost came out to about $375.

 

Lol, I know exactly what you mean.

What's not to love about Austin?

I think that going back to the dealership is a good plan. I was a little concerned that the car might seem more closed in without the sunroof, but it really doesn't. Both of the cars I test drove had sunroofs so buying my car was completely on faith. I hadn't seen the color before I bought it either . Everyone who has ridden in my car has commented on how open and roomy it feels inside. With a Mini, it's an emotional experience so trust your instincts and you'll get the perfect car for you.

 

Oh, and since everyone else is posting pictures of their Mini's. Here's mine!

 

I love that color blue, it isn't laser blue is it? Now that I think of it, the mini I test drove didn't have a sunroof and I never got the feeling of being too closed in. It's just after obsessing over minis for so many years, I've never pictured myself owning one without the sunroof. I'm definitely going to go back to the dealership to further check out the sunroofs. If I decide not to go with the sunroof, then I'll definitely get the black top- I'm not too concerned about the heat problem of a black roof if there's no sunroof letting the extra heat in.

We'll see what I decide... it's such a hard decision

 

I live in the Upper Kirby district so momentum is the delaership a lot closer to me, but I went to the one in the woodlands. The MA I worked with was nice- not as annoying as some other's I have delt with in the past.

Over the weekend, I went to momentum after hours and snuck a peek at their minis . They have quite a few on the lot and have discounted the price on quite a few of them, so I'll be heading there this weekend for my 2nd test drive (and sunroof study!). Fingers crossed that I can find something on the lot that fits my taste so I can avoid the whole ordering process!

Thanks for the heads up on Alex.

 

Hmm, interesting logic.
You are concerned about the roof color with a sunroof, when most of the roof area is glass, but not concerned with roof color when that color takes up the entire roof? I think you have it backwards. It is on MINIs without sunroofs that the difference between white and black roofs will have the greatest impact.

Here is something for you to do at the dealer on a hot day. Find a MINI with a white roof, and another with a black roof. They must both have been sitting in the sun for an extended period without being opened. Get the MA to let you get into each. See if you notice a significant difference.

 

I dont think its entirely heat related, when opting for colors. Im sure the OP was wondering about the aesthetics of them, but also obviously knows that sunroof = heat. So w/o the sunroof, heat really isnt a concern.

I bet if you got in a white roofed car then a black one it'd be identically hot.... Youd be better off comparing Leatherette vs cloth or Leather. Leatherette doesnt breathe very well.

 

It's the, sadly and regrettably, discontinued Lightning Blue. Laser Blue is a bit too.... bright... for my tastes.

 

Go with the white roof, get the sunroof, then put a checkerboard graphic on the roof with a perforated sunroof graphic.

Mainly, because chili red with a checkerboard roof looks great, and also because the roof graphic will keep a little heat out.

then add checkered mirrors, white bonnet stripes, and get white wheels.

or you could get checkered mirrors, black bonnet stripes, and silver or black wheels. the checkered roof gives you lots of options.

 

I don't think CR/W is that common...it's what my wife wanted and NONE of the dealers 500miles around had any CR/W with even 17 inch wheels, but they all had tons of CR/B cars...my dealer in Cincy alone had three!

 

Because the CR/Ws don't sit on the lot for long.

 

From what I've seen around in Houston- the most common colors are chili red/white and pepper white/black. I realize that no matter what color option I choose someone else is going to have it (which really isn't a problem, the car I drive now is pretty common). I just like the look of chili red/black and don't see them quite as much.

I realize that no matter what color roof I get; If I decide on getting a sunroof, it will be hot either way. I've just heard that it wasn't a smart idea to get a black roof in a hot climate area (maybe I was confused and it was saying not to get a sunroof in hot areas). I'm going to go to the dealership on Saturday, sit in each and see for myself.

I'm 100% getting cloth seats, I'm not much of a fan of leatherette/leather seats (weird, I know).

I like the idea of going red/black with checkered accents.... I plan on keeping the car for a while and I just want to make sure I end up choosing a look that will suit my taste for a long time.

I've never had such a hard time buying a car before ...having so many options makes things 10 times harder!!!!

Thanks for the opinions everyone

 

I went Googling to see if there was any reliable info on how much roof color affected the interior temp of a car.

I found this http://www.tom-morrow-land.com/tests/cartemp/index.htm that claims that the interior gets 5 to 6 F degrees hotter on black cars*. He was measuring through the window with an infrared meter. I'm not so sure that gives an accurate picture, but it does show a significant difference. Thats 85 vs 90-91 F.

The paint itself had a 55 F difference between black and white.

The Car Talk boys said black cars do get hotter, but they didn't say by how much.

There seems to be a movement towards auto standards requiring special heat blocking glass and roof paints. Seems that there are technologies that can reduced car interior temps in the sun by significant amounts. Cost per vehicle is estimated at $98-128. By reducing interior temps, they figure they can reduce vehicle emissions by reducing AC use. AC can take as much as 20% of the energy used in a car, according to once source I found.

Bottom line. If you get a car with a black roof, you'll have to abandon the "treehugger" screen name.

 

I pick up my 09 MCS lightning blue mini next week. The color is amazing but they actually discontinued it so I love the color even more because I have one of the last ones they made!